Trying to raise a 'green' family? Here’s a place for sharing tips and ideas to reduce your family’s “footprint”, make sustainable choices and learn health information. If each family makes small changes, it adds up!

Cloth diapers – finding the “perfect” system

A few months ago, I jotted down all I knew about cloth diapering to help new parents navigate that wonderful, albeit smelly, world. You can read the article here at my website, Great Green Tips. The short story is that we were using cloth diapers with a gDiaper absorbent insert and plastic covers.

Since then, we had to deal with a big problem: Banana had terrible diaper rash and yeast infections for most of the winter. Causes of yeast infections in babies are food allergies, cutting teeth, irritating lotions or soaps, and sitting in their own doo for too long. For a more technical explanation, check out WebMD or Babycenter.com.

Our “perfect” system was breaking down! Yikes! She – and we – were not happy campers.

First, we went to our pediatrician. She basically said “yeast happens” and handed us a bottle of anti-fungal cream. She told us to apply the cream, then thickly frost her bottom with Desitan (no substitutes.) It didn’t work.

We switched to another brand of cream. It got worse. We gave her yogurt with live cultures. No change. Every diaper session was becoming a nightmare.

So, I consulted the oracle – the internet. I checked out a bunch of websites where parents could offer their own suggestions. Two things stuck out:
(1) Some parents blamed disposable diapers for yeast infections. They said, “Since they are so absorbent, they don’t get changed very often, leading to breeding.”
(2) The other half blamed cloth diapers. They said, “Cloth diapers keep bottoms wet and the plastic covers smother the skin.”

I realized our “perfect” system had the worst of both worlds: We used absorbent pads, mimicking disposables, and the less breathable plastic covers, so we weren’t changing her very often. With so many layers, she didn’t stand a chance!

We tweaked the system and discovered a better yeast cream. While she still gets a little red every once in a while (especially when a new tooth is coming through), she’s been virtually rash-free for months now.

Here’s the “perfecter” system:
• We continue to use cloth diapers and most of the time use a thin, flushable liner instead of a gel insert;
• We use the gDiaper inserts for overnight, long car rides and naps. They’re still the best for preventing leaks, especially now that we stocked up on the gDiaper covers as well;
• Now that she’s over one year old, she’s on a pretty steady schedule, so we can anticipate a BM and change her almost immediately (this has made the most difference, I think);
• Airdry! I let her roam free for 15-20 minutes between changes. At first we had some “accidents,” but I think she’s beginning to understand and hold her pee. Maybe we’re beginning the first steps of toilet training! Or, maybe like Bugs&Roo commented a while back, we’re having “elimination communication”!
• Wiping with water and cloth wipes seems less irritating, it’s like getting a mini-bath with every change. Read my TGIF entry on homemade wipes.

As Banana’s needs evolve, so do our systems. One thing I’ve learned as a parent is once I finally figure something out, she’s bringin’ on a new puzzle to solve. As John Wilmot said:

“Before I got married I had six theories about bringing up children;
now I have six children and no theories.”